gleequel
by gleequel
Summary: The original cast we've all seen grown and grown to love has graduated and moved on. Now, the New Directions is now flooded with 12 new incredibly talented freshmen, all with a different song to sing. Based off of the cast from The Glee Project.
1. New Beginnings

Chapter 1

This was it. The first day of school. The first test of social strength. Every decision made today...how you speak, who you make eye contact with, and (most importantly) how your hair looks contributes to where you stand. Even the smallest move could determine whether you bask in the light of social royalty, or sit in the stench of the stuffy dumpster in the parking lot. This day, and these moments, could never be more significant to the incoming rabbits playing in traffic...the freshmen.

Some are at ease, knowing that without a doubt they'd mix in with the right crowd, as some desperately try to absorb and conform in order to stay alive. It's a battle ground, and no one is quite sure where the targets lie until the cold, artificially flavored corn syrup artillery hits them where it stings.

Shelby Corcoran pressed a pushpin into the crowded cork of the bulletin board. She took a step back, and took a deep breath. This was going to be hard. Vocal Adrenaline's members were the celebrities of the school, more admired and feared than even the football team. The New Directions, as she was told... did not share the same fate. She heard footsteps and the swish of an expensive nylon tracksuit stalk behind her.

"Wonderlips, manjaw, or traitor. It's your first day, so I'll be charitable and let you choose," echoed a confident voice behind her. Shelby closed her eyes, and laughed bitterly.

"Sue Sylvester."

"Sorry, sister, that name's already taken by someone who's mouth is in the normal radius of a human face." Sue said, in her usual condescending tone. Shelby turned around slowly and crossed her arms, said lips in a tight line as she looked at her with an unphased, though slightly irritated expression. She remembered what Will had told her earlier that week, when they went out for coffee.

_"Don't let her get to you. She feeds off of crushing spirits and..." Will warned her. He looked somewhere between annoyance and somewhat hurt. "... And hair...and vest jokes." _

It was all very dramatic.

"You know what, track suit?" she said coolly, stepping up to a confused Sue. Shelby's eyes were fierce with determination. "Bring it on." she punctuated when she was up close to her face, before stepping past her and heading towards the choir room. Sue stood there, staring directly at the recent addition to the board. 

GLEE CLUB!  
>**NEW DIRECTIONS!**<br>NO AUDITIONS, JUST SIGN UP!

Sue smirked to herself.  
>"Will, I knew you wouldn't let me get bored." She then proceeded to her office, where she toasted a protein drink to her tasteful potted plant to the start of a very fun year for one Sue Sylvester.<p>

-x-

"Isn't this great?" Charlie beamed as she strutted down the hallway, arm in arm in between Jaryn and Collin. "I mean, look at us. How many sexy rock star freshmen are there in this school? I'll tell you. Three, and they're us." she pulled them both closer by their linked elbows, squealing to herself excitedly. Her leather knee high boots, worn over tight jeggings, clacked every time the heel kissed the floor. Her top was clad in a white oversized t-shirt, cut at the collar and bottom, revealing a toned stomach. On her wrist was a friendship bracelet, one that matched ones that Collin and Jaryn wore. Hers was blue, Jaryn's was green, and Collin's was red. She made them in seventh grade, when the three of them became inseparable.

"The top of the bottom is still the bottom.." Jaryn said with a sigh. "...not like we're even at the top." Jaryn's long, dreadlocks fell free, as opposed to the days when he wore them up in a type of man-ponytail. He had plain dark wash jeans, and a green slightly V-necked shirt, and some nice, classy leather shoes.  
>Collin raised an eyebrow at him. "Dude...you'd be the last person I expected to care about that. Look at us! Finally going to high school together- just like we always planned. So what if we don't know anyone else here? We'll find people to chill with." he thought for a second. "Or we can just be celebrities, everyone admiring us and giving us free Cheetos and shit. Who needs a clique when you've got like...a possy?" Collin had jeans on almost as tight as Charlie's, and a well fitted flannel over a plain white shirt. He had red high tops, and some expensive looking sunglasses that he probably stole from his uncle, just because his uncle was rich and Collin really liked sunglasses.<br>Charlie laughed. "That's the spirit! We're going to own this school!" she said, a glowing smile on her flawless face. Jaryn shook his head at the two, who in turn began to chatter about how they could sell T-Shirts to raving fans begging them to sign their boobs. It was then that Jaryn heard something that made him stop in his tracks. Charlie turned around and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at him.

"Jarbear?" she questioned.  
>"I, uh...left something in the classroom. I'll find you guys at lunch." he blurted. Collin tilted his head slightly. He knew something was up, but also knew it was useless to try to get anything out of the guy that he wasn't completely willing to admit.<br>"Alright, man. I'll call you, yeah?" he said, tugging on Charlie's arm. Charlie resisted for a moment, curious, but then gave in as Collin urged her to not even try.

It was a voice. A jazzy, smooth, and undeniably talented voice. He followed it's source to a theatre, which was completely empty, all the doors locked, save for one. A tune he didn't recognize, but he found himself pushing open the door and listening. Charlie had a great voice, but this girl... 

_"The minute you walked in the joint  
>I could see you were a man of distinction.<br>A real big spender,  
>Good lookin', so refined.<br>Say, wouldn't you like to know  
>What's goin on in my mind?"<em>

He watched her. She was short, with a bouncy little bob cut. She wore a tank top that had a cute skeleton panda on it, and a poofy skirt, with striped stockings and black Converse. Her pure song, filled with so much raw feeling, was slow and flowed beautifully with the acoustics of the theatre.

_"So let me get to the point.  
>I don't pop my cork for every guy I see.<br>Hey big spender,  
>Hey big spender,<br>Hey big spender,  
><em>_Spend a little time with me."_

It was jazzy, but classic and definitely a showtune. He stepped down one stair, unaware that his feet were moving. The tiny girl looked very young, especially with how she was dressed. Thirteen at the oldest, but, somehow... Older. Like her appearance would never mix with the personality expressed so naturally in the song. This song seemed to conflict with her appearance, and yet it was a beautiful harmony. He only wished he knew the song. He took another step, and their eyes met.

She was gorgeous. He panicked, and stepped back again, sliding out behind the door.

-x- 

She was caught! Someone had been listening to her sing. Who was that guy?  
>"Fuck, was I not supposed to be here? Am I screwed?" she scrambled away from the microphone. She hopped off the stage. "Jesus Christ, Lulu, see a nice big stage, and go 'Oh! You know what, I'm gonna sing here!' Shit! " she muttered to herself as she gathered her things. "They probably thought you were a teacher's daughter or something. You're good, you're good." she continued to ramble to herself.<p>

It didn't matter if someone was coming to give her detention, lunch would be soon anyway. She leaned on the edge of the stage.

"Should I go off and_ try_ to find a group to sit with?" That sounded exhausting. Lucille, or as she's often called, Lulu, sat down in one of the many seats. She pulled out her Hello Kitty lunch box, and she ate her sandwich in silence.  
>"I miss middle school." she whispered to herself. She had friends, or people she'd like to describe as friends. They were boring, but they didn't mind her. They all went off their separate ways, and even though some of them came to McKinley, they ignored her. She sunk down into her seat.<br>After she finished her lunch, she decided to get up and walk around the school or the halls, maybe look like she was looking for someone, so she didn't feel so lame. She flung her backpack over her shoulder, fixed her poofy skirt, and headed out.

-x-

"Why not? It's the start of high school. A time to start fresh. A time to take and give chances!" Reina, a tall and pretty girl with large brown eyes and a gentle face, chirped excitedly. She looked like some kind of gypsy, flaunting a Bohemian style flowy shirt, with a long and swishy skirt. She pulled it off with grace. Leila, her best friend at whom her animated chatter was directed towards, ducked her head down, causing her gorgeous strawberry hair to cascade down. She wore a simple black lightweight shirt, with straight leg jeans and cute vintage floral print flats.

"... Only freshman get this excited on the first day of school, you really want to publicize that?" she said, clutching to her books as she avoided bumping into people in the crowded hallways.

"People here don't have Christian private school mentality, girl. Embrace it!" Reina exclaimed. "I don't know what you want from me... Chop off all my hair and stand on top of a table and yell at the top of my lungs-" she stopped herself.

"I'm just saying, you're never going to find someone if they don't know about you. You're gorgeous, yeah, but you're also not a recognizable stereotype."

"So you _do_ want me to cut my hair."

"I never said that. But it does look good on me."

"Well then, when all the lesbians flock to you for your cute pixie cut hair, only to realize you're straight, feel free to send their rejected sappy souls to me." Leila reached her locker and tossed her books inside. Reina leaned on the locker next to her, her lip tugged to one side as she studied her friend. "What's wrong?" Reina finally asked softy, tilting her head. Leila sighed as she shut her locker and turned to face her again.

"...I trust you, Reina. I don't trust anyone else in Ohio, and especially not in a high school. Not one like this. I'm not ready to shout from the rooftops that..." she paused. Saying it always made her stomach twist up nervously, as if someone was listening. "...that I'm gay." she whispered. Reina smiled sadly at her.

"Hey, don't look so down... It's fine if you don't want to be, well... 'out' yet. But you've got to stop _assuming_ everyone is against you." She saw that what she was saying wasn't having much of an effect on her discouraged friend. Middle school hadn't been kind to Leila, she was having image issues, friend issues, and not to mention her ever present orientation confusion.

"You know what? You and I are joining a club. Come on." Leila eyed her as she grabbed her wrist.

"You're not serious, a high school club?" she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Reina smiled sweetly.

"You never know! Maybe there's even a GS-"

"No. Please no." Reina shrugged.

"Just an idea." she said sweetly, before switching to a more serious tone. "But really... We can't do middle school again. We need to find a group."

"I'm fine with you..." she replied quietly before looking up at Reina with earnest eyes. "I don't need more than that." she said simply.

Reina bit her lip, and put a gentle hand on Leila's arm."You need to learn to trust other people, too, Leila. You'll be happier, and it'll make you feel so... _so_ much better when you finally realize people will accept you." Leila closed her eyes.  
>"...I hate it when you're smart." Reina just smiled wider at her.<p>

"Come on, let's go find a club. But no gardening club. Something that still has a chance of having guys... Straight guys." Leila rolled her eyes but allowed a small smile to escape. Reina laughed.  
>"Aw, there it is!" Reina beamed, throwing an arm over Leila's shoulder, causing Leila to glare slightly at her. Reina didn't budge, she just kept laughing and walking happily down the hallway with her friend.<p>

-x-

"I'm so glad we ended up in the same school, boogie. I mean, what are the odds? You said you were going to college in Canada, and bam! Here you are!" Nicola giggled a she clung to her "boogie", Anthony. Nicola had classic Spanish good looks, big lips, big black eyes, long, shiny black hair, and of course, her push up bra didn't have to do much work. She was hot, and she knew it- her tight skirt and tube top hugging her curves as she strut down the hallway with her equally attractive boyfriend. Anthony smiled, though with obvious exertion.

"Yeah, what are the odds..." he replied lazily, allowing himself to be tugged around by his girlfriend. Anthony was tall, tan, and has a cute face that looked almost like a tired bear. He looked athletic, and walking next to Nicola, they were quite a sight. "Where are we going?"

"Cheerios sign ups, of course!" she beamed, hitting his arm playfully. "And you're signing up for football, boo! Haven't you been listening? We'll be a power couple! Instant popularity! Isn't that what you want? Of course it is. It's what everyone wants." she babbled as Anthony just nodded and mhmm'd at the appropriate time.

"_I'm starting to regret not just going to Canada after all..._" he thought.

"Oh, boo... The line is really long and I think I left something in the classroom. Won't you wait in line for me?" she asked, batting her heavily mascara'd eyelashes.

"Yeah, sure, babe..." he replied in a monotone, walking towards the end of the ridiculously long line. (_Isn't this just a sign up sheet?_)

He should break up with her. He wasn't happy, and she didn't care. As long as she had a hunk boyfriend, she dragged him along like a toy poodle in a Coach bag. The thing is, she was smoking, and she was also already on her way to the in-crowd. She was right, anyone who had the chance to be popular would take it. Those who deny it already graduated, moving on to wiser things like community college.

Not to mention the fact that if he broke up with her, she no doubt either:  
>a) cry and scream<br>b) yell and scream  
>c) drive her daddy's car into his bedroom wall... while screaming.<p>

So, with Nicola he shall stay. He sighed. Speak of the devil. Nicola skipped back happily, wrapping her arms tightly around one of his. Nicola scouted the line, without a doubt wondering who would be competition for her.

-x-

"This is an _awful_ idea." Abby said as the three of them stared at the empty list in front of them. Abby was a heavyset girl, with bright, curly, hair and large blue, expressive eyes. She wore a pleated skirt with leggings and flats, and a striped long-sleeve shirt.

"It's social suicide, joining a glee club, isn't it?" Larson added. Larson was a short boy who, despite his deprived height, was very well built. He wore a blue and white striped polo, and medium wash jeans.

"All y'all are pathetic. You know we've got killer voices, and like hell are _we_ joining choir. You know what's in choir? Church music, lame shit, _no solos_, and I-" Orleande stopped himself and turned, opening his arms towards Larson and Abby. "..._we_, need to shine." Orleande wore a bright yellow plaid (not gingham) ruffle scarf, black pants, a black shirt with a few decorative sequins he bedazzled on, and a yellow beret. He also wore bedazzled lace up converse.

"We're not going to shine very brightly with targets painted on our faces." Abby said, arms crossed. Orleande threw his hands up.

"Are you _serious_ right now? Do you _see_ the three of us? We might as well have clown shoes with gingham plaid stockings and _donkey tails_ pinned to our asses."

Larson looked up between the two, and shrugged. "He's kind of right, you know. We're gonna be losers anyway if we plan on still being best friends. Why not do something we love, something fun, together, you know?"

Abby groaned. The two watched her, waiting for her to speak. "Fine. Whatever. We'll join the damned club, but you are _both_ paying for the clothes that get torn while they try to throw me in a dumpster!" she said. "At least they won't be able to, unlike some of the other scrawny freshmen around here..." A couple of stick thin and blonde girls walked by. "Gross." she said, scrutinizing the two of them.

Orleande laughed. "Preach." he exclaimed, signing his signature in a barely legible, heavily stylized autograph. Abby lifted Larson to sign his name as well.

Abby let a grin slide. "Alright... I admit. I'm a _little_ excited." she said, as signing her name as well.

-x-

So apparently, an Irish accent won't do much magic unless you talk, and Gerard was terrified. The school was huge, there had to be at least a million people, and they all seemed to be at least six feet tall. It was ridiculous. What did Americans do to their kids to make them so big and intimidating? It was all way too different from the private schools in Belfast, and he wanted to go back. It was prissy, but at least he had friends, and the people not too much shorter than him weren't being shoved into lockers.  
>Because he had gone to private school most of his life, he had done research on typical American "cool" clothing. Which is why he wore a preppy Abercrombie &amp; Fitch polo, paired with a Harley Davidson leather jacket, and True Religion jeans. He hurried through the hallways with his head down, until he realized there was a very long line of girls standing in line by the club board. He approached a group of less intimidating looking freshmen.<br>"Excuse me." he said, and the three of them turned heel, looking at him like they were addressed by the Queen. Huh! So accents really _did_ have magic here. Or was it the leather jacket...? "What's the line for over there?" The three looked at each other. Abby cleared her throat.

"Something lame for girls. You should join, uh..." she looked back at the board a second and then back to Gerard. "New Directions! You look like you sing." she said enthusiastically. Larson nodded. "Yeah, it's great, and it's not like choir with chorus songs and lame shit."  
>Orleande had a look that could kill when Larson stole his line. You could practically hear the "Oh <em>hell<em> nah."  
>"Trust me, brother. Sign up." he said, pushing his shoulders towards the sheet. If they got the hot exchange student with an accent, maybe the club wouldn't be just losers after all. Gerard looked back at the three, who nodded encouragingly.<br>"Ah, why not. You guys seem cool." he said, signing under the names. He smiled. Orleande appeared next to him.

"Alright Gehr-rerd" he said, completely butchering his name. "The names Orleande, that there's Abby, and the small one is Larson." Larson rolled his eyes.

"Oh, _you're_ cool." he said sarcastically.  
>"Love ya, man." Orleande said. Gerard waved awkwardly.<p>

"It's actually like Jer-rard..." he said.  
>"So Gehrerd, tell us 'bout yourself." Orleande said, draping an arm across his shoulder. Gerard laughed and walked off with them.<p>

The list read as such:  
>1. Orleande Denir<br>2. Larson Alps  
>3. Abigail Williams<br>4. Gerard Fitzpatrick

-x-

From the front of the line, Nicola's ears were perked. A boy with an accent in a group of losers, all joining a Glee club?

"What an opportunity..." she whispered to herself, smirking a bit. Not only was the guy's accent sexy as hell, she and Anthony would seem like such wholesome and charitable people if they joined a group of little show choir freshmen. Like those dogs that wear vests and look all cute for gross sick people, and then get all the respect. She quickly signed her name and turned to Anthony.  
>"Hey, boo, you like singing or something, don't you?" Nicola asked. "Dancing?" Anthony raised an eyebrow. Had she actually known something about him? He had to admit, he was a bit impressed.<br>"Yeah, but how did you..."  
>"Why don't we join glee club?" she asked with a sweet grin. "Then we can be in a club together!" He blinked.<p>

"Yeah...yeah, sure." he said with a slight smile. Nicola did an inward victory dance and slid over to the sheet, signing both their names.

5. Nicola Alvaraz  
>6. Anthony Herald<p>

-x-

Lulu, on her third self tour of the school, saw two people, a couple, she presumed, that glowed with the familiar vibe of popularity. The good looks, and the confident strides away from the list for.. New Directions? Only six people had signed up, and it was... show choir. She couldn't believe it. Was glee actually _cool_ here or something? She stepped up to the paper and signed her name in cutesy bubble letters, beaming.

7. Lulu Hartman!

-x-

Jaryn, Collin, and Charlie all walked side by side, attached by the hip once again. The only time they weren't together were in the classes they didn't have. Charlie was chattering on about how they absolutely needed a bassist, second guitarist, hot female back up vocalists, and a keyboardist.  
>"Why do we need more people, though? We have a good sound with just the three of us!" Collin said. Charlie rolled her eyes.<br>"Collin honey, labels don't pick up three person hipster bands." she said. "Sure, we sound sick, but imagine a whole spectrum of sound! Wicked basslines, keyboards going wroorororoo with all those effects and stuff."  
>Jaryn shook his head. "I agree with Collin. It's taken us so long to get to this point... we sound great, why mess with a good thing?" Charlie whined.<p>

"Scared of change, much? Come _oonnn_. You know I'm right." Jaryn sighed, and walked past a long line of dumb looking girls with perfect ponytails.  
>"Ohh, club board! Maybe we can hold auditions and put up a sign or something!" Charlie sang. Jaryn did a double take as they walked past.<p>

"It's her..." he breathed. That girl from the proscenium was there, signing up for a club with a huge smile on her face. She put the pen down and then clutched her backpack, before walking off again.  
>"Whoah, hold on, guys. I uh...think I know where we can find some extra talent." he said, eyes not leaving her except to look at the paper in which she was so cheerfully signing.<p>

"Man, pick a side! Laaame." Collin groaned. Charlie giggled excitedly.

"Good boy!" she said, stroking down his dreadlocks. Jaryn shook his head to make her stop, and she just giggled more.  
>"What about..." Jaryn backstepped and looked at the lone piece of paper. Already seven people had signed. "What about glee club? Makes sense, musical talent, dancing... Right?" Both Collin and Charlie looked at him dubiously.<p>

"A Glee club." Collin said.  
>"Yes."<br>"As in...show choir." Charlie tagged in.  
>"There's already seven people.. So it can't be <em>that<em> bad." Jaryn said a bit quietly. Collin and Charlie looked at each other. Collin shrugged.  
>"Fine by me." he said. Charlie blinked.<br>"So, wait, what? We're really joining a glee cl-" But Jaryn was already signing. Charlie continued to look around, confused once again. Collin chuckled to himself.

"Oh boy... here we go again." he whispered. Charlie huffed.  
>"I give up on trying to understand your damned man-telepathy. Pen me, Jar." she said, holding out her hand. She squiggled her name in pretty cursive on the line. Collin followed suit.<br>"I hope we get to do a lot of jazz hands, or I'm out."

8. Jaryn Raleigh  
>9. Charlie Jamison<br>10. Collin Meyers

-x-

"Hey Leila, let's do cheerleading, yeah?" Reina said with a laugh. Leila rolled her eyes at her.  
>"I hate pony tails, and you can't even put your hair up." Reina shrugged.<p>

"At least I'm_thinking_. Fashion club? Ew... Young republicans club? What the _hell_? Gardening club... A pre-established, no..." Reina wandered off on her own, looking at all the papers. Leila leaned on the wall, watching her.  
>"Why do we even need to join a club, again?"<br>"To get you out of your damned shell, girl!" she said, lifting up a paper to see underneath it. Leila walked over to her, and a paper caught her eye. Reina jumped at the interest.  
>"New Directions? Show choir... Of course! Your voice is killer, and so is mine!" she said happily. Leila shook her head.<br>"The only reason you heard me sing was because I didn't know you would come over while I was home alone to stalk me. There's no way in _hell_ am I singing in front of anyone." Reina was already signing them up. She looked up at her with large, earnest eyes.  
>"How well do I know you? Very well is the answer. Deep down, you want me to pull you out of your comfort zone because you know you can't do it on your own. And even deeper down, you want to be heard. We're joining glee club." Reina proclaimed.<br>Leila would protest, but it was really damned unfair that someone else knew her better than herself. She just took the pen and signed in the very last slot without another word.

11. Reina Cormick  
>12. Leila Willow<p>

-x-

When Shelby came back, she was stunned to say the least. None of the names had anything to do with the digestive system. They were genuine names of people interested in glee club. They had signed up, despite Will ensuring that she would basically have to pay people off to garner any kind of interest.  
>It eased the knot in her stomach, and she was actually excited to meet these kids. She found herself studying their signatures, and guessing what kind of group she would have. She began to think of songs that could be sung by twelve people, choreographing endlessly in her mind.<br>How was it possible for her to be this excited about something she'd been doing for so long? Somehow, she knew that this would be much different from the winner sweatshop of Vocal Adrenaline.

It was the start of something amazing.


	2. Oh! Darling

Chapter 2

Shelby Corcoran didn't get nervous. Not before a show, or an audition, or even meeting celebrities. So she didn't understand why she had to do breathing exercises as she was waiting for Glee club, of all things, to start. They were just kids! Kids that would most likely be no where near as talented as Vocal Adrenaline. So, why were her hands shaking? She sat down on top of the piano, and stared at her hands.

"_It's because it's not just for winning this time..._" she thought, looking up around the plain room that's showcase only had a few cheap trophies, rather than the walls being lined with shimmering, first place statues. The way Will instructed, he wasn't just a coach. He was a mentor, someone the students could turn to for anything. He was a friend to them. She took another deep breath in, closing her eyes. Someone hesitantly opened the door.

"Um... excuse me."

Shelby jumped and almost fell off the piano, clutching her heart.

"Who the hel-"

Lulu clutched her book close to her chest, looking at her with big, timid eyes.

"S-sorry... Is this the wrong room? I'm here for... uh, glee club?" she asked, her already large eyes even wider in embarrassment at startling the woman. Shelby took another deep breath and chuckled.

"No, no, you're in the right room, you just scared the sh-... you startled me." Shelby couldn't bring herself to curse in front of the girl, since she looked about twelve. Wait, she had to be at least a freshman, though, right? She slid off the piano gracefully, and stood up tall, looking proper to compensate for her earlier clumsiness. Lulu began to feel a little less intimidated, and Shelby held out her hand. Lulu placed her tiny hand in hers, and they shook hands.

"My name is Shelby Corcoran, and I will be your Glee club instructor. And you are...?" she said, shuffling through piles of paper and retrieving the sign up list.

"Lulu Hartman, ma'am." she said, trying to mimic Shelby's posture. Shelby's eyes flicked up from the list and she chuckled.

"Calm down with the 'ma'am' thing, I'm not your English teacher or anything." she said as she looked down the list and put a little check next to her name.

"Yes…umm..."

"Just call me Shelby." she said nonchalantly. She put down the list and looked around the room. "Well, you're the first one here, so, have a seat." Shelby said. Of course the first person to come in had to be a scared girl, who looked like she should be in middle school, while she was trying her best to not be intimidating. She sat on the stool, and Lulu walked over to one of the seats in the front. There was an awkward silence.

"Sooo.. you're a freshman?" she asked. "And you sing?"

"_Le duh, lady... I didn't come in here for pottery."_ Lulu thought, but kept a bright smile. "Yes! I like, um, Broadway." Shelby nodded in approval.

"As all the best singers should. Maybe since you got here first, you could sing a little something for everyone else?" Lulu went pale. There was another moment of silence.

"Why are you punishing me for coming in first?" she said with a bit of a shaky voice. Shelby sat up straight. "_Shit, don't cry!"_ she thought.

"Don't you like singing, though? I mean, glee club..." Shelby replied. She didn't get this girl. Why would you join a glee club if you didn't want to show off? She might even get a solo opportunity from this performance. Lulu shifted.

"I... I do love singing." she said quietly. Shelby breathed in relief. "I'm just not very comfortable with it. That's kinda why I joined the club..."

Ah, the girl was starting to make sense to her. It was then, when Shelby realized she now knew more about this girl than she knew even about Jesse, her star that she'd spent nearly three years working with. She could see the vulnerability in her, the need to impress and yet lacking the confidence to put her foot forward. So _this_ was what Will meant. Shelby smiled softly at her.

"Then, you're in the right place. I won't force you to sing... but... I would like to hear your voice some time this week, if not today." She said in a gentle tone, and Lulu lifted her head from where she was focused on fiddling with her skirt. She smiled back a bit. The doors flew open again, causing them both to look up.

"Alright, okay, here we are, didn't mean to make y'all wait, okay!" Orleande strut the catwalk of life right up to an unprepared Shelby. "Orleande Denir, ma'am. It's the first one." he tapped the list. "Is pronounced OR-LE-AND, so don't mess it up." he said before striding over to the seats. "Where are all the other fools that signed up? Where is Gehr-rard?"

Shelby just watched him, eyebrows high on her forehead and not quite sure what to do. He was such an opposite from Lulu, brimming with confidence and yet if he was in Vocal Adrenaline she would've kicked him to the curb for being a little _too _out there. Yet, for some reason, she felt like he would definitely belong here, just because he had that strong personality. Lulu watched him with pure amusement. "Alright, well I'm-

"It's not our fault you power diva walk." Abby said, a bit out of breath as she walked in and took a seat next to him. Larson trailed in after her.

"Seriously! What the hell, man? No one's even here yet." He looked around the room, and then noticed Lulu. He hesitated there for a second.

"Well, I mean, besides this girl. I mean, she's here. And, yeah, lady teacher," He said awkwardly, shuffling past them. Lulu tilted her head slightly, not sure whether to be insulted or not. Shelby watched them, and shook her head to herself.

"Alright, so, you three who just came in... I'm Shelby. This is Lulu, Orleande, annd..."

"Abigal Williams. Call me Abby." she said as she was already unloading some sheet music from her bag.

"Larson Alps," The other announced as he debated sitting next to Lulu, but chickened out and sat next to Abby instead. Shelby nodded, checking off each of their names.

-x-

In the hallways, Jaryn, Charlie, and Collin all walked in their usual formation, arms linked with Charlie in the middle talking about something and Collin bickering back. Jaryn was spacing out about something, as usual. He came back to reality when he realized that both Collin and Charlie had stopped talking, with their necks craned back.

Reina and Leila had walked by them on their way towards the choir room.

"Damn..." Charlie and Collin both whispered at the same time, before looking slowly at each other.

"_Please don't be the redhead..."_ Collin thought.

"_No. Collin, it's the tan, short haired one. It has to be._" Charlie thought. They both just looked at each other for a minute, before Charlie bit her lip.

"Strawberry blonde?" she asked hesitantly.

"God. _Dammit!_" Collin stomped. "Not _again_!" He ran a hand through his hair, before holding out his hands, one palm up and one in a fist, poised for rock paper scissors. Charlie looked down at his hands, and then smirked a bit.

"No, you know what, no rock paper scissors this time. How about..." She said, her cool, confident smile growing. "May the best man win?" She held out her hand. Collin eyed her, and then he smirked back, taking her hand and shaking it firmly.

"Deal."

Jaryn groaned.

-x-

Reina looked back. "Did you _see _that?" she whispered to Leila. She laughed. "That guy was totally checking you out! ...More importantly, so was that _girl_!" Leila rolled her eyes.

"Mmhm," She said, walking a little faster. "Sure. Reina, you've tried that so many times. It doesn't work like that for... gay people; you can't just openly look at someone."

"Maybe for you, but not everyone thinks like that. Some people just don't care about what others think." She said. "You should stop being so worried about offending someone because of who you are. It's _your_ life... you can choose who's opinion you care about." Leila closed her eyes in slight frustration.

"Reina... I appreciate that you care, and you're supportive and everything, really, I do, but... can we not talk about it for one second? It's stressful enough, and..." Reina's heart sank with realization. Leila hated talking about her orientation, and Reina had been pushing it. She looked down, her smile fading.

"..I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." Leila looked up. Reina rarely ever looked this down, even around her.

"...I really am glad that you care so much, though." She said quietly. Reina looked up from where her gaze rested on the floor. She looked over at her friend. "I just... I need to figure out other parts of me, besides the whole... liking girls thing. I don't want that to become who I am. Leila, the ..._dyke_." She said the last part bitterly. Reina stopped right in the middle of the hallway and hugged her tightly.

"I know for a fact there is _so_ much more to you than that." Reina said quietly. Leila smiled slightly, and hugged her back. They stayed like that for a moment, before Leila pulled away, feeling a bit too choked up for comfort.

"Let's go to our damned show choir club." Leila said laughing lightly. Reina smiled again, and they made their way towards the room.

-x-

Shelby had checked off six people: Lulu, Orleande, Larson, Abby, and now, Leila and Reina. They all seemed to keep to their own groups; therefore Lulu was sitting alone in the front, too shy to approach anyone. Larson turned away from Abby and Orleande's heated debate on whether Gaga is more of an icon than Madonna or not. He scooted down a couple rows of chairs and leaned on the back of the chair next to her.

"So, your name is Lulu?" he said. She looked up, and hesitated for a moment, before smiling.

"Yeah, you're…Larson, right?" she asked in her usual cutesy voice. Larson nodded and grinned. "Can I call you... Larry?" she turned to face him, getting a bit more excited than normal. He chuckled.

"No way, Larry sounds like the name of a puppet." He said. She pouted. He flung himself over the back of the chair and sat next to her.

"Fiiiine. Larson it is." she said, rolling her eyes slightly. She looked around the room. "...Honestly, I expected a lot more people to be here." Larson shrugged at this.

"We're here," Larson started, "You should've dragged more people with you, like Orleande did with us." Lulu laughed a bit sarcastically, and looked down at her skirt.

"If I had anyone to drag along, trust me, I would've." She said, trying to play it nonchalant that she didn't have any friends. Larson nodded in understanding.

"Having trouble fitting in...?" he asked gently. Lulu shrugged.

"Talking to people is exhausting."

"Ouch."

Lulu turned back to him again, and put her hands out in front of her.

"No, no, not you, you're okay. I just... I don't know, you're kind of the first person who's noticed I'm here. Maybe because we're kind of around the same height." she spoke, laughing lightly, and then froze. "_Oh. God. You did not just say that. That was really sensitive, Lulu."_ she thought nervously, but then she felt a wave of relief when he laughed as well.

"Hey, if you need someone to hang out with, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to have you sit with us at lunch."

Lulu sat up a bit straighter and looked at him in disbelief.

"Really?" She asked, her eyes practically twinkling. Larson smiled at her and nodded.

"Yeah, sure, why not? Besides, we're going to be in glee club together, right? I'm sure we'll all be able to chill. Maybe we can even get everyone to sit at the same table at lunch!"

Lulu snorted. "Please, those girls are _way_ too pretty to be seen with us."

"You're pretty too." Larson said. Lulu turned scarlet, and Larson did also when he realized that he said it out loud. Neither of them said anything, and both of them were relieved when the Jaryn, Collin, and Charlie group walked in and immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room. Charlie seemed to realize this, and put on a thousand watt show smile, before looking at Leila and toning it down to be a little more sultry. Collin rolled his eyes.

Leila looked away from where she was talking to Reina for a minute, and her mouth hung open very slightly. This girl was gorgeous, with piercing ice blue eyes and perfect teeth, and that look she gave her... her stomach flipped, and she quickly looked back at Reina, who seemed to know what was going on and just gave her a knowing smirk.

"What?" Leila said, fixing her hair as she looked back at her. Reina kept the smirk and shrugged. Collin's jaw dropped a bit, having seen the whole thing. That did not just happen. Charlie turned towards him with a smug look on her face, and Collin crossed his arms, pretending he didn't see it.

Shelby turned towards the three. "And you are...?"

"I'm Charlotte. Charlie," She chirped.

"Collin," He said, lacking her enthusiasm.

"And I'm..." His eyes caught sight of Lulu, who was even now still blushing from Larson's comment. He didn't know why he was so caught off guard; he knew she would be here. Collin elbowed him when he didn't finish his sentence. "..Jaryn. I'm Jaryn." He said finally. Lulu looked up, and when their eyes met she looked away, as if she was caught, even though Jaryn was the one staring. Shelby nodded, and scanned the room as the trio made their way to sit behind Abby and Orleande. Everyone was sitting in their own groups; talking to the person they came in with, besides Larson and Lulu.

"_They're so cliquey... that might be a problem…" _Shelby thought as she bit the end of her pen. She scooted off the stool.

"Alright, so now we're just waiting for...Gerard, Anthony and Ni-" she paused when she heard the door open, and the two walked in, effectively owning the attention of everyone. Nicola seemed to realize this, and smiled a pageant smile. Anthony looked like he was genuinely a bit happy to be there, even with Nicola. Their vibe almost outshone the Collin, Charlie, and Jaryn trio, just because they both seemed to glow with...well, potential royalty.

"That would be us." Nicola said, flipping her hair a bit. Her arms were wrapped around Anthony's, as usual. "Nicola and Anthony."

"Alright...then, that just leave Gerard.." And as if on cue, Gerard opened the door looking confused. Nicola turned around, and her smile widened.

"_Yes! The Irish boy did join!"_ She thought, and gave him a quick once over. Anthony noticed, and gave her a dubious look, to which she just gave him a sweet smile back.

"Sorry if I interrupted, but_ please _tell me this is the New Directions?" He asked. Instantly, everyone's attention turned from Nicola and Anthony to Gerard. He felt all the eyes on him, and slid a bit back into the door. Shelby smiled warmly.

"Yes, Gerard?" Gerard nodded. "Come on in, we have everybody now." Gerard chuckled awkwardly, and stepped back into the room, closing the door. He looked awkwardly out at the group, not sure if introductions were done. "Um... howya, everybody?" He said, his Irish accent even thicker at the "howya".

Most of them looked at him confused, but the girls just giggled.

"Alright, everybody, take your seats!" Shelby announced, and those who were standing all sat back down. Nicola and Anthony sat in the front, and Gerard headed towards Orleande and Abby, who were grinning. Orleande pat the seat next to him. "You're our replacement Larson because he wandered off to smooth talk a girl." Abby whispered to him. Gerard raised an eyebrow, and looked over to where Lulu and Larson were sitting next to each other. Jaryn heard this, and his eyes darted over to the two. He looked at Larson, and his head fell back slowly in frustration.

...Really? _Really? _This was _not_ fair. If he competed with a guy like... well, like Larson, for a girl, there was no way he wouldn't be painted as a bad guy if he won her over. He only half paid attention to Charlie and Collin's discussion, only hearing "definitely straight" and "eyefu..." before he tuned out again. Everyone went quiet when Shelby stepped forward and held her hands up. She scanned over all of them, and smiled widely.

"Welcome to New Directions!" She said while throwing her hands open dramatically. Some looked excited, others looked a bit nervous still. "As you're hopefully all aware, this club is about show choir. I used to coach a team that was actually a rival to this... you'll encounter them soon enough, Vocal Adrenaline." she paused and walked down the front of the room again. "The thing that makes this club different is that New Directions isn't just show choir, as the previous coach told me." She scanned the group. "This is a Glee club that glorifies individuality, not just the sound as a whole. I'm going to hear every single one of your voices, and so will the audience at Nationals." she said confidently.

"And so, I think that instead of doing some lame thing where we go around the room and... talk about your favorite vegetable, we could learn a lot more about everyone if we started off with a song." She said, clapping her hands together. "Any suggestions?"

Silence. She nodded to herself. "O-_kay_! How about I start off, and anyone who wants to join in, can jump in." She walked over to the piano, feeling a bit put down already. How was she going to get this group to be a family, like Will's bunch was? Her fingers traced the keys of the old piano. She looked up at the group again.

"How about some Beatles?" She chimed, giving them a sassy, knowing look. She knew everybody would know the Beatles, at least this song, and with a song like this, you almost had to sing along. She pounded down the first, ringing chord of the song.

_Oh, darling. _

_Please, believe me._

_I'll never do you no harm,_

_Believe me when I tell you,_

_I'll never do you no harm._

She played the filling part, and looked out at the group. They didn't have Brad yet, so she had to stay at the piano and play. She was about to sing the next part, when Collin stood up, and sang in his clean, rock and roll style voice.

_Ohhh! Darling._

_If you leave me, _

_I'll never make it alone._

_Believe me, when I beg you,_

_don't ever leave me alone!_

He belted out the last part roughly, and everyone cheered and laughed excitedly. Shelby was blown away, the boy had a voice. Everyone else was starting to get into it now, too, since he took that first leap and _owned_ it. Orleande stood up next, and began to stomp down the stairs. He belted it out powerfully into the bridge, emoting and thrashing his arms out with sass. Collin chimed in occasionally.

_When you told me you (when you told me) didn't need me anymore  
>Well you know I nearly broke down and cried<em>

Abby grinned and stepped down as well, singing at the top of her lungs and bringing just as much attitude to the piece as Orleande, and that's saying something.

_When you told me you didn't need me anymore  
>Well you know I nearly fell down and died <em>

At this part, she put her arm over her forehead dramatically, and fell to the floor, causing everyone to laugh and cheer as Orleande rolled his eyes playfully and helped her up again. There was a pause, and Anthony shot up, causing Nicola to double take. He walked straight past Nicola and down to the front. There was a pause in the music.

_Oh! Darling, if you leave me  
>I'll never make it alone<em>

Nicola was a bit thrown off, but strung up, determined to show off. She'd never actually given much thought to singing, but she strut down the stairs, swinging her hips as she danced up next to Anthony seductively. Anthony laughed, clearly having a good time.

_Believe me when I tell you  
>I'll never do you no harm.<em>

Reina eyed Leila, who looked at her wide eyed and shook her head. She took Leila's hand and pulled her up. Reina sang as she walked down the stairs, and Leila shuffled down after her.

_When you told me you didn't need me anymore  
>Well you know I nearly broke down and cried<em>

Once they were at the bottom, Reina looked expectantly at Leila, who, despite her stomach twisting up nervously, joined in, and eyeing the rest of them. Their cheering gave her a little more confidence.

_When you told me you didn't need me anymore  
>Well you know I nearly fell down and died <em>

She even threw in a run at the end. Charlie smirked, and looked over at a moping Jaryn and rolled her eyes. She tugged his arm and brought him down to the stage with her. She nodded for him to start once he realized he was standing.

_Oh! Darling, please believe me  
>I'll never let you down<em>

He sang as he walked down the stairs, his eyes trailing back to Lulu who cheered him on happily. He started to sing the next part, but Charlie chimed in with her powerful and perfectly trained voice. She not so subtly sidled over to Leila, on her way over to Collin.

_Believe me when I tell you  
>I'll never do you no harm <em>

Shelby smiled proudly at them, and ended the song. Everyone burst into applause, and Gerard, Lulu, and Larson stood and joined them all in the front.

"Nice, nice!" She said, thoroughly impressed as she made her way over to the kids. When Will had strongly urged her to make it an open club, with no auditions, she was skeptical to say the least. She was fully prepared to give these kids lessons on how to hold a tune, yet every single one that stepped up and sang blew her away. They were good. She crossed her arms.

"And as for you three... I expect to hear you as well. By the end of this week! Maybe you guys can do a number together." Lulu looked a little scared, as did Gerard, but Larson was amped.

She learned a lot from this little display. Collin seemed to be a leader at heart, but wasn't quite sure how to step out of his shell. Orleande had a natural confidence about him. Abby seemed unafraid and unashamed, and comfortable in her skin. She could go on, but the excitement was starting to die down a bit.

"I think for our competitions, I want all of you to have a solo part. It'll be hard. We'll have to find songs that can divide smoothly into 12 parts, but I think it'll be important to keep this... unity." She explained, and everyone nodded in agreement. Both Orleande and Charlie looked a little down put that they wouldn't have any long solos, but none the less excited.

"Yeah, that was... that was really cool." Collin said, laughing a bit. "I've never just burst into song before."

"Well, you did pretty good for your first time." Gerard said, patting him on the shoulder lightly. "And I am an expert at suddenly bursting out into song, lemme tell ya."

"Mmhm, yeah, that's why you just watched us like the telly." Nicola teased. Anthony leaned into her air, but spoke so everyone heard.

"Irish, babe, not British." Everyone burst into laughter, including Gerard, and Nicola was embarrassed for a second before she ended up laughing as well. Shelby watched them with fondness, before she stepped in between them.

"Alright, I think that about wraps up today." she announced. "It's great to meet all of you, and once again, welcome to glee club!"

Everyone clapped and cheered enthusiastically, and suddenly, Shelby didn't feel quite so nervous any more.


	3. My Little Windmill

Author's Note!

_Hello, you beautiful person! Thanks for staying interested despite my slow updates to even make it to chapter 3! I know I said I would make it more focused, but then I realized all the storylines are pretty interlaced. I couldn't bear to take one part out when it flowed into another so well. Maybe in the next few chapters each will start to center around one character, and the next another. For right now, I'm describing all the storylines in one chapter. _

_For those of you who haven't checked out my tumblr yet, please do! .com_

_It has character profiles, including the new character who isn't on the Glee project, but is an OC of mine. I'll try to make her as least cringe-worthy as one can make an OC like her._

_Also, I realized a bit too late that I should've added said lovely OC to the end of Chapter 2. So I'm adding it here as a continuation._

Chapter 2 Continuation~

Delilah Lynn Hayes stood outside the music room, watching as each came to the front of the room and sang. Each, besides the three sitting down. Two people who looked like they should be in about middle school, and then one sitting alone. Oh, a boy that she recognized vaguely... was he in her Geometry class? She smiled to herself, and as the song came to a close, the three of them joined them in some kind of celebration. Celebrating that they sang a song? She raised an eyebrow, and turned heel.

_And now, Chapter 3!_

Larson shook out his hands. "_You can do this. It's not a big deal._" He said. Orleande and Abby looked at him and then back up to each other.

"Larson," Abby scolded.

"Really," Orleande tagged on. They both pushed him out from around the corner, to where Lulu was sitting on the stairs, alone and with her sandwich and her Hello Kitty lunchbox. He took a deep breath.

"Lulu! Hey!" Larson said as he was walking up the stairs, pretending to just then notice her. She looked up, blinked, and then smiled.

"Hey, Larson," she replied. Abby and Orleande stood there for a minute, before Orleande pulled her back by the arm. "Let's go, let's go, give them their adorable little moment."

"I'm... uh, I'm sorry I didn't find you guys for lunch. I just got lost and..." She really didn't feel like walking around aimlessly trying to find people. Larson took the seat next to her on the stairs, which were hardly ever passed through, especially during lunch period.

"We're usually in the cafeteria, but that can be temporary. I mean, we're not like, rooted to the cafeteria. We can have lunch in the music room; it'd be a lot less..." Larson bit his lip. Lulu looked up at him.

"...Let's just say, a group like us three doesn't really blend in all that well." He said lightly. Just today he had his, Abby, and Orleande's trays smashed right into their faces. The mark from the plate was still a bit visible on the bridge of his nose. Lulu giggled quietly.

"...From Orleande and Abby's performance yesterday, I don't think they want to blend in. They shouldn't. That was awesome." She put away her sandwich and crossed her legs and staring off at nothing. "Blending in is the most mediocre way to be accepted." She said, shaking her head. Larson blinked, obviously not expecting that. "Why would you, when you have that much talent and that much confidence? It's so stupid. I don't get high school." Lulu looked back at Larson, who was still looking at her dumbfounded. She blushed a bit, looking down at her hands, and letting out a small, cutesy laugh. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to go all-"

"You're right, though." Larson said. She looked back up at him. "The three of us had an idea that this would happen. We talked about going separate ways, melding in with maybe a more normal crowd. Then we remembered we're best friends, and stupid high school bullies aren't going to take that away from us." Lulu opened her mouth to say something, only to realize she had nothing to say, so she just smiled warmly. Larson scratched his head.

"But, you know, even though we don't want to mold into other groups, we don't mind someone molding in with us." He paused before continuing. "So, what do you say, music room for lunch with us from now on?" Lulu felt her heart swell. She was being invited into a group of people who were actually_ interesting_. Who knew high school could be exciting?

"Yeah, I'd really... really like that." She smiled at him, not a cutesy 'I'm nervous' smile, but a genuine and warm smile that caused Larson to flush a little. She didn't notice.

"Cool, cool! Oh, we still need to find Gerard, and work on our song. For Glee. Our glee club song," He stammered out. Lulu bit her lip and nodded slowly.

"Right... right, we have to sing in front of everyone who was insanely talented. Awesome," Lulu chuckled nervously while packing up her things. The bell was going to ring any minute.

"You wouldn't have joined if you didn't think you were insanely talented, too, though, right?" Larson suggested. She flung her backpack over her shoulder and just stared at him. He grinned at her. "I can't wait to hear it myself. Let's talk more about it in Glee club, yeah? I have to run, my class is on the other side of campus and... I can't exactly walk very fast." He chuckled. She continued to look at him and nodded. He suddenly wondered if he said something wrong. He stood up, waving awkwardly while walking up the stairs. She stood up as well.

"Thank you Larson." She called out. He turned around, and that same warm smile flickered back onto her face. He smiled back and nodded before heading towards his class. Lulu clutched her backpack strap, feeling ridiculously warm and giddy that she had managed to make friends with people that didn't suck.

-x-

"Jaryn? Jaryn!" Charlie said waving her hand in front of his face. "Are you listening to me?" Jaryn stirred, and looked at her. The trio was seated in the back of the history classroom, and there was a discussion going about, leaving the three to talk freely.

"Oh, yeah, uh, I agree with you." He replied, sitting up a bit.

"See? Even Jaryn thinks she's at least bi." She retorted to Collin, who put his hands up.

"At least bi means that both of us have a chance. Chill," he said. "Besides, Jaryn's not a fair vote right now. He's off in la-la land." Collin twirled his pencil through his fingers. Charlie tilted her head, and Collin leaned forward causing Charlie to lean in as well. After a pause for added affect, he finally said "A girl." Both Charlie and Jaryn's eyes widened, Jaryn's face going a little red. "Damnit, Coll-" he muttered, before Charlie's head turned so quickly that if she didn't have whiplash from head banging so much she had it now.

"Who? Oh god, is it our gi-"

"No, it's no one." Jaryn interrupted, turning away from them.

"The little one." Collin chimed in happily.

"Damnit, Collin!"

"The one with the little poof skirt?" Charlie's eyes were as wide as her grin. Jaryn didn't say anything. "Oh my god! No wonder you wanted to join Glee club! That's adorable! Jarbear!" She punched his arm before wrapping hers around him. He groaned and glared at Collin, who had a grin reminiscent of a fox's.

"It doesn't matter. I can't go for her anymore anyways." He said looking away. Charlie looked up at him.

"Why not? You won't look too much like a creeper. I mean, she looks like she's 5, but..." She let go of him finally.

"No, it's not that... that... really short boy is obviously into her." He said quietly. Charlie shrugged.

"So?"

"So, it'd be wrong. You don't just... do that to people like him." He ran a hand through his hair. Collin put down his pencil and turned to look at him.

"Dude, he's just another guy. I'm sure he doesn't want you to treat him like he's dying or something. She's not taken, and it looks to me like you saw her first. All's fair," he said. Jaryn looked up at him and didn't respond but didn't argue either. He looked down at the ends of his dreadlocks again.

"Why her, though? No offense, she's adorable, but she doesn't exactly seem like your type. Your usual type, that is." Charlie asked. Collin perked his ears up as well.

"...She has a voice like I've never heard, and she just has this way about her... I can't put my finger on it." He said quietly, a hint of a smile on his lips. Charlie rolled her eyes but smiled at him.

"You're such a romantic, falling for a girl for her voice. Is she better than me? Wait, no, don't answer that. We'll find out today when she sings with... oh." she said. The bell rang, and Jaryn stood up without another word. Collin shot her a look, to which she just mouthed "What?" Collin stood up, following after Jaryn, and Charlie followed after.

"I don't get boys." She muttered.

-x-

As the bell rang, Delilah sat up in her seat behind Gerard. She tapped him on the shoulder because he was pretty into his music and didn't even hear the bell ring. Or he was asleep.

"Hey, wakey wakey," she said, going over to the side of his desk. She blew in his ear, and he jumped, almost falling out of his chair. He looked around, confused, before looking back at her. His face turned a bit red. She was absolutely gorgeous with a cute heart shaped face and perfectly sculpted auburn curls. Her light brown eyes seemed to twinkle on their own.

"I thought you were the teacher for a second...Not that you look like her, I mean, I was in trouble." He breathed. He realized everyone was already gone. "...Did I-"

"Sleep through the bell? Yes," she giggled and held out her hand. "You're a transfer student too, right? My name's Delilah. Delilah Lynn Hayes." Gerard blinked and shook her hand.

"Pleasure..." he replied, shaking her hand for probably too long. She smiled shyly, and he pulled his hand away, laughing nervously. He packed up his things, and she stood there waiting for him. They walked out of the classroom together.

"I like your accent." She said, smiling still. Gerard blushed, and on the inside, praising his home country. "Irish?" She asked. He nodded.

"Up north, in Belfast. Uh, what about you? You said you transferred, right?"

"Oh, yes. From the very exciting Wyoming," She answered. "Didn't mean to one up you or anything." Gerard laughed.

"Just because you don't have an accent doesn't make it any less interesting. I mean, Wyoming, is like..."

"It's a square. That's about all it has going for it."

They laughed. It was only then that he remembered that the day was over.

"I have to go. I have club." He'd met up with Lulu and Larson earlier and decided that they were going to go over their song for Glee club before it started.

Delilah tilted her head cutely, her curls falling over her shoulder. "You're in a club? Which club?" Gerard shifted a little.

"Um, glee club," he said quietly, wondering if it made him look like a loser or not. She beamed.

"Really? This school has a glee club? That's awesome! Can I join you...?" Gerard opened his mouth to say something. This girl seemed... if he guessed right... into him. Not to mention she was completely gorgeous. "_Thank you, Ireland!_" He thought and then smiled shyly at her.

"Of course," he replied. She smiled brightly again. "Actually... I'm kind of third wheeling with Lulu and Larson. Would you maybe like to, um, sing with me?" Gerard asked, scratching his head. She looked a little uncertain. "I mean, if you don't want to, it's totally cool. I mean, I'm only doing it today because I was too scared to sing yesterday so now I have to sing today, and the two people I'm singing with are tiny and adorable an-" Gerard rambled on. Delilah put a hand on his arm and smiled, effectively shutting him up.

"I'd love to," she said simply. "If it's a song I know, of course."

"Even I know it, so I'd hope so." Gerard replied. Delilah laughed lightly and walked with him towards the room. Everything was a lot easier than she had anticipated.

-x-

"Just go for it, man." Charlie said, pushing Collin forward. Jaryn wasn't with them right now. He stumbled a bit and adjusted his hair as he walked towards Leila and Reina, who both turned towards him.

"Hi," he breathed. Leila half smiled back.

"Hey... you're from glee club." She said. He nodded.

"Ohh, the guy that sang first! You're pretty good." Reina chimed in. "Oh, I need to go talk to my teacher. I'll see you both in club!" She said, smiling at Leila. Leila gave her the look of fear, and Reina just pranced off happily. She turned back to Collin, who was now leaning against the lockers.

"So, listen, um... I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out sometime. There's a cool movie theater near my place all done up to look like a Broadway stage." He said, smiling. "What do you say?" Leila had a feeling this was coming, and she looked down at her hands, before looking back up at him.

"I...I'm sorry, that sounds really, really cool, but uh... you're not... _reaally _my type." She answered, smiling a bit sadly at him. He did seem nice, and he was cute. It was such a shame that he's a boy. "I'm sorry." She repeated before walking past him and moving quickly to catch up with Reina to complain for leaving her alone with him. She made eye contact with Charlie, who was pretending to put things in her locker, and Charlie smiled flirtatiously back, causing Leila to forget where she was going and almost walk into another freshman. She heard Charlie giggle behind her and put her head down, walking faster.

Collin turned around slowly, dreading seeing Charlie's expression. As he expected, a huge, smug grin was plastered on her face.

"So, what'd she say?" She asked coyly as she closed her locker. Collin sighed.

"Fine, whatever, go have your way with her." He said, falling in step next to her as they walked towards the music room. Charlie looked scandalized.

"You make me seem so barbaric. I will be a gentlewoman and woo the lady." She said, adjusting her posture. There was a pause. "...and then I'll have my way with her." She added. Collin rolled his eyes.

"Well, at least you know she has to be gay if she didn't go for this. Do you see me? I'm adorable. She has to be a lesbian."

"Keeeep tellin' yourself that, bud." She said, patting the discouraged Collin on the shoulder.

-x-

"Alright, guys, settle down." Shelby said, stepping up to them. "Today, we'll have the ones who didn't sing yesterday do their own performance with the song of their choosing. Also," She gestured toward Delilah. "We have, hopefully, a new member who will be performing with them, so, without further ado, Lulu, Larson, Gerard, and Delilah!" She said, throwing her arms open and then stepping back as the rest of them clapped. By now, they had the full band in the background, and the music started playing the well recognized intro. The four stood in a line, and Larson was the first to step up.

_All the, small things  
>True care, truth brings<br>I'll take, one lift  
>Your ride, best trip <em>

He paced the front of the room, and threw in some cool dance moves before taking Lulu's hand and pulling her forward. He gave her an encouraging nod and grinned. She smiled a bit back before looking back at the audience.

_Always, I know  
>You'll be at my show<br>Watching, waiting, commiserating _

She sang in a pitch a bit too high for her voice to sound normal and was doing some exaggerated steps. She made her eyes big and batted her eyelashes as she sang and did a little twirl. Jaryn watched, confused, and Collin and Charlie were desperately trying not to laugh.

_Say it ain't so  
>I will not go<br>Turn the lights off  
>Carry me home <em>

The four of them sang together, and then at "carry me home" Lulu and Delilah proceeded to leap into Larson and Gerard's arms, and then they spun them around. They all had bright smiles and were singing animatedly. They began to clap their hands over their heads and jump as they sang the "_Nanananananana"_ part. Everyone else in the room began clapping along. All except for Jaryn, who was still majorly confused. Why was she singing like this?

_Late night, come home  
>Work sucks, I know<br>She left me roses by the stairs  
>Surprises let me know she cares <em>

Gerard sang next, his accent still heavy as ever in the song. Nicola laughed as Gerard walked over to Delilah, and she pretended to give him a flower. He put on a surprised face and looked flattered, taking the invisible flower. Delilah giggled, and stepped forward to sing the chorus.

_Say it ain't so  
>I will not go<br>Turn the lights off  
>Carry me home<br>_

She was obviously well trained. Her voice was near pure and clean, hitting notes with precision that only years of instruction could help deliver. She danced fluidly; with a few flirty kinds of moves that made Gerard almost forget to join in for the last chorus.

_Keep your head still  
>I'll be your thrill<br>The night will go on_

_The night will go on  
>My little windmill<em>

As the song ended, there were grins on every face as they smiled and bowed. Their audience clapped enthusiastically. Shelby looked to Delilah.

"Well, Delilah, we're happy to have you if you'll have us." She said stepping forward. Delilah looked at Gerard and smiled a bit shyly.

"This was really fun... so, I think yes."

"Well then! Welcome to the New Directions, Delilah!"

Everyone clapped and introduced themselves to her, asking things about her before returning to casual chatter before the bell rang. Nicola sat, however, with her arms crossed, and Anthony felt obliged to sit with her.

"I don't like her." She said simply. Anthony raised an eyebrow.

"Why not? She's _good." _He replied, looking back at his girlfriend. She was still looking stern.

"I just don't like her. I get a bad feeling from her." She scowled. Anthony rolled his eyes.

-x-

After glee club had finished, Jaryn stayed a bit behind so that he could stop and finally talk to Lulu. Everyone had already gone, and he walked down the steps to her spot in the front.

"Hey," he said, looking a bit nervous. Lulu looked ten times more so. She looked up at him, her backpack halfway over her back. Jaryn shuffled, not sure how to go about this.

"Um... we haven't really spoken yet, but I'm Jaryn." He introduced himself, holding out his hand. Lulu smiled a bit and shook his hand. It was ridiculous how tiny her hand was in Jaryn's.

"Lulu," she replied and eyed him carefully. She was not used to guys this pretty even looking at her, let alone stopping her after club just to introduce themselves and...whoa, she needed to calm down. Jaryn leaned against one of the seats, and chuckled to himself.

"I... um, don't be completely creeped out, but that wasn't the first time I'd heard you sing... Lulu." He said and looked up at her. Lulu looked a bit confused. Did they go to grade school together or something? Had he heard her at a talent show?

"...Oh," she replied simply, flushing a bit. She couldn't think of anything else to say? Nothing?

"The first day of school... in the auditorium? I..." He was blushing. It was faint, but he was actually blushing. Lulu went wide eyed from embarrassment from herself and also seeing a guy as hot as this _blushing._ Wait. What?

"Whoa. Wait, that was _you?_" She asked, remembering seeing someone walk into the auditorium when she was singing... oh god. "You heard me sing _Big Spender_." She looked mortified. Jaryn nodded.

"Yeah... you sounded really, really good. I mean, I didn't even know the song, and still, I just kinda... walked in. I'm sorry I eavesdropped." Would it be eavesdropping? He smiled slightly. "...but you _were_ in an auditorium." He added with one eyebrow raised. Lulu bit her lip and chuckled awkwardly.

"Yeeaah... I'm sorry you had to hear that. It just seemed like it'd be fun." She said, fiddling with her skirt to avoid looking into his eyes.

"Don't apologize." His tone was serious, and it caused Lulu to look up from her skirt. His eyes were intense, and her heart leapt. He softened his expression when he realized he might've sounded a bit too stern. "I mean... I liked how you sounded. You sounded like you were singing for yourself, you know?" He explained. "But for today... you seemed like you were trying to sing for... I don't know, your appearance or something." Lulu looked at him oddly, but really what he was saying was hitting a little too close to home for her to react honestly. She inched her backpack over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry you didn't like the song." She said, her defenses up. Jaryn cursed himself, realizing he probably went too far and now she probably thought he was some weirdo psychologist guy studying her.

"Just... I think what Ms. Corcoran is really trying to emphasize in this club is... self expression. I'd like to see _Big Spender_ Lulu again."

At this point, Lulu felt like she could cry because what he was saying was so _sweet_ and _deep,_ and she was way too unfamiliar with this kind of attention. She looked at her phone, pretending to see a text from her mom.

"...I gotta go. It was nice meeting you, Jaryn." She said, before quickly pulling the other strap of her backpack on and making towards the door.

"Wait," he stood up. She stopped but didn't turn around. God damnit. This was all so dramatic. "Your full name isn't really Lulu, right?"

Lulu turned around and shook her head.

"Lucille," she replied. Jaryn nodded to himself, seeming to consider it.

"Lucille..." he said. "May I call you that instead?" He asked. Lulu's heart did that weird clenched feeling, and she knew her face was flushed.

"...Sure, I mean, it's your life, man." She babbled, before turning around and leaving the room, her mind racing. She put her hand over her mouth, not used to any of this. Attention from boys, let alone someone she barely knew having an actual meaningful conversation with her. What was wrong with high school? She walked faster.

Jaryn stood, looking at the door still. "_...Smooth one. She hates you now."_ He thought and kicked a chair. He closed his eyes. "_...and now you knicked your fancy shoes."_


End file.
